20 years on, Gecko's is a mini-empire

Wednesday

Jun 6, 2012 at 12:01 AM

By BRIAN RIES , brian.ries@herald-tribune.com

Twenty years ago, friends Mike Quillen and Mike Gowan opened a little neighborhood bar called Gecko's in the then-new Landings shopping center in Sarasota. Now, the two Mikes have five Gecko's and three other bars in their mini-empire, all without losing the neighborhood vibe they strove for two decades ago.

"A nice, slow growth-expansion has been the key," explains Quillen. "We're so in touch with the community -- it's one of the things that's helped us get through the past few years. Our guests are our friends, our employees are our heroes, we've grown up here and known each other since we were 10."

Keeping in tune with the neighborhood has been at the heart of Gecko's evolution. What was once a bar is now more of a pub that serves more food than drinks and strives for a more inclusive atmosphere. "In the beginning, we switched off day and night for five years straight," explains Quillen. "We were much more of a bar back then and as we've gotten older and gotten families we've evolved into a family restaurant."

Quillen also cites the growth of craft beer at Gecko's and their expanded use of local produce -- the Mikes work with Honeyside Farm to source Sarasota-grown ingredients as much as possible -- as more evidence of their desire to keep pushing their establishments further.

Some things don't change, however, like The Red Barn on Bee Ridge Road, which the Mikes bought 15 years ago. They then expanded their bar properties with The Rusty Hook and Hurricane Mike's, all modeled on typical neighborhood joints. "We love The Red Barn," says Quillen. "When smoking laws changed we saw a more party atmosphere in the bars. They're townie bars, local bars."

Even with eight local establishments, the Mikes still do not have a centralized office, instead rotating between all of the properties throughout the day to check in and add the personal touch that is expected by their customers and employees, and part of the fun for the two owners.

To celebrate Gecko's 20th birthday, the Mikes will hold a bigger version of their annual birthday barbecue celebration on Thursday. "We cook and smoke a lot of pork for days, put a big spread out for everybody, get the vendors involved," says Quillen.

"This year we're going to take a different twist on it and make a charity part of the deal -- the YMCA Youth Shelter. It's free, but we'll probably ask people to kick in if they can for the shelter."